June 26, 2025
Social Security Administration Quietly Removes Customer Service Data Before Commissioner Testifies
The Social Security Administration (SSA) stopped posting customer service performance metrics on its website, according to a new report from The Washington Post. The SSA website no longer has a “live data” section that shows current call wait times, callback wait times, and number of callers waiting on hold or waiting for a callback.
SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano did not say why the agency removed this information or commit to restoring it when asked by Rep. Judy Chu (CA) during a hearing in the House Ways and Means Social Security and Work and Welfare Subcommittees on Wednesday.
Bisignano focused on his plan to use technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to “modernize” customer service at the agency, and insisted that he doesn’t need to increase staffing levels for those improvements. In February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) implemented staffing reductions that slashed the SSA workforce by 12 percent, wreaking havoc at the agency with slowed down claims processing times, increased wait times, and frequent website crashes.
Throughout the often combative hearing on Wednesday, Bisignano emphasized that he wants to use technology at the agency more while still “meeting people where they are” and providing “an omnichannel” approach.
But he failed to provide specifics about how he would ensure that rural Americans and seniors without broadband or smart phones continue to have access to customer service while the agency implements artificial intelligence (AI) and other modernization technologies. He did not provide a direct answer about whether AI would be used for eligibility determinations or redeterminations.
“These changes are not modernizing, they are marginalizing,” said Rep. Terri Sewell (AL). “In Black and Brown communities where generational poverty and digital exclusion remain high, seniors are now expected to navigate impersonal and inaccessible systems with little or no support.”
Committee members also asked about the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) reach in the Social Security Administration. Bisignano deflected questions about how much influence DOGE has within the agency, and he doubled down on misinformation originally spread by Elon Musk, the head of DOGE, refusing to refute his false claim that 120 year olds were collecting Social Security benefits.
“There’s an immediate urgency as it deals with DOGE and their access to the public’s personal data,” said Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member John Larson (CT). “I also think that it’s become blatantly obvious to the American public that we are in the midst of the privatization of Social Security. We have put forward a plan, the plan is very specific and direct. We see no plan, we’ve had no hearing from our colleagues on the other side.”
“At a time when SSA is reeling from DOGE staffing cuts that resulted in the loss of thousands of employees, Mr. Bisignano provided no indications that he will prioritize or that he even understands what Social Security beneficiaries actually need when it comes to customer service,” said Robert Roach, Jr., President of the Alliance. “There is no substitute for experience and human interaction when it comes to ensuring that older and disabled Americans get the benefits they have earned. We will continue to work with Congressman Larson on this and other issues pertaining to Social Security and the SSA.”
